Microsoft and Best Buy to create 600 stores-in-stores by September

There will be 500 Microsoft-branded stores in the US and another 105 in Canada.

Like the standalone Microsoft stores, there will apparently be wooden floors.

Microsoft

Microsoft has announced new plans to extend its retail reach by partnering with Best Buy to create more than 600 stores-within-stores across the US and Canada.

The companies plan 500 stores in the US, with an additional 105 in Canada split between the Best Buy and Future Shop brands. The first stores will open later this month, and the roll-out is expected to be completed by September.

These will not merely be an aisle or two with a Microsoft banner: they will average 1,900 square feet, making them a substantial presence. Microsoft will also be training 1,200 Best Buy blue-shirts to provide guidance to customers. The two companies even plan on joint marketing efforts.

Microsoft, of course, is not the first company to make this kind of partnership. In spite of its much larger network of Apple Stores, Apple continues to have concessions within Best Buy (albeit with a smaller in-store footprint). In March this year, there were reports that Best Buy was planning to roll out Samsung stores.

The move gives all these companies much greater retail reach—Best Buy has far more stores in far more places than Microsoft, Apple, or Samsung. It also allows them to exercise some control over the appearance and layout so that they can show off their products in the best possible light.